Louisiana festivals spend the month of September saying goodbye to summer. The month begins with the long Labor Day weekend, the last big holiday of summer. In New Orleans, this means it is time for Southern Decadence, the gay and lesbian festival weekend that includes parades, dances, street parties and contests.

By the time the end of the month arrives, the St. Tammany Parish Fair and the Tangipahoa Parish Fair will be opening, with midways, livestock exhibits, music, pageants, and the smells of carnival food filling the air, letting Louisianians know that fall finally has arrived.

As the temperatures fall (you know, to the upper 80s), the festival season heats up. Other highlights for September include the New Orleans Burlesque Festival, the Natchitoches Meat Pie Festival, the Steamboat Stomp, the Alligator Festival, and the NOLA on Tap Beer Fest.